


These Nights in Cairo

by ErinTheTrickster, Sharyrazade



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Anthropology, Archaeology, Awkwardness, Children of Men - Fallen PT AU, Comedy, Crossover, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied Sexual Content, Museums, Non-Explicit Sex, Protectiveness, Rare Pairings, Romantic Comedy, Sexual Humor, Team Bonding, Traveling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 20:51:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16542002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinTheTrickster/pseuds/ErinTheTrickster, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharyrazade/pseuds/Sharyrazade
Summary: What do a back-alley doctor, a history teacher from Inaba, and a young rebellious hacker all have in common? Apparently, they’re all pretty big into Egyptology. After months of making plans online, the trio decides to finally meet face-to-face…at an archaeological dig site in Egypt.Hijinks ensue





	1. Ra

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Oddest Couple?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12313029) by [Sharyrazade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharyrazade/pseuds/Sharyrazade). 



> Based on a suggestion I made on one of Sharyrazade’s fics, I thought I’d take a crack at the idea of these dorks in Egypt. Also, for the handful of people who recognize the title, yes I am referring to the Steam Visual Novel “These Nights in Cairo”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ra: The God of the Sun and Creation

Futaba Sakura was not happy.

Well, that’s not necessarily true; she was happy. Today she was finally leaving the comfort of Tokyo, finally stepping into the deep end of the initially intimidating pool that was social interaction. She managed to make a couple of friends online, well, colleagues, who shared her love of Egyptology, and now one of them had arranged a meetup for the group….At a dig site in Egypt.

One of the other two members of the group included Thoth, who helped set up this excursion and knew more about the history and culture of ancient Egypt than the former NEET thought was possible. In addition, Thoth would act as the group's interpreter, as they also had a good handle on Arabic. Futaba could barely get by with her elementary level English, so she was grateful to have someone coming along who could understand the language. She smiled at the thought of her anonymous friend, as she left every interaction with more knowledge. Thoth had invited Futaba to meet with them in Yasoinaba, but she wasn’t quite equipped to peel herself away from the comforts of the city to spend time with some stranger she met online.  Meanwhile, she knew very little about the other member, Serqet. Named after the goddess associated with medicine and scorpion bites, all Futaba knew about her other associate was that she worked as a doctor and had a fondness for arachnids. It was a little disappointing, but fit the namesake well.

After weeks of begging and pleading with Sojiro for permission to take a much-needed sabbatical, a brief break from her work and studies, he finally relented….With a catch

“So, who’s coming with you?”

“W-what?!”

“You’re not leaving the country to meet some strangers all alone, right?”

For months, she had been planning and anticipating this trip; everything from the budget to her itinerary was painstakingly typed and calculated. A folder with the words “EGYPT CENTRAL” sat in the corner of the desktop of one of her monitors. With that single exchange, Sojiro poked a pinhole that let out all the possible “what ifs” and doubts that were held back by her meticulous planning.  That one detail: _Who’s coming with me?_

Familiar, unwelcome thoughts flooded her mind. This invasion included every possible way things could go wrong, along with a conviction that they _would_ go wrong.

Working towards improving her ability to interact with others was especially difficult after she committed to avoid hacking the message board the trio frequented. There were many times, both during and between their chat sessions where she had to resist the urge to dig into Thoth and Serqets private information. While this helped her build trust with her new friends, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were quite as transparent with her as they claimed to be.

However, the one who seemed the most concerned about her excursion was her boyfriend, who had a rather interesting way of conveying his unease about the situation. Needless to say, he didn’t take the news of her expedition while they were out eating

 

* * *

 

“Wait, what the hell?! You’re goin’ to another country without tellin’ me?!”  He nearly spat out his noodles as he protested. He slammed his fist onto the table, causing the bowls to shake vigorously.

“Will you keep it down?” she shot back, “You’re scaring the other customers!”

Normally, this would be the start of another on of their lover’s quarrels; they’d snipe at one another until one of them broke down and apologized or cracked a joke to ease the tension of the situation. However, Ryuji was quick to realize and acknowledge his mistake, and shrunk back into his seat, 

“S-sorry. I’m just worried, y’know? You’ve never really been outside the city, nevermind the country. Plus…” He looked down into his noodles as though there was something hiding in the broth

“Who are these guys, anyway? The one’s you’re goin’ on this trip with?”

“If by ‘guys’, you mean Thoth and Serqet, they seem nice enough-”

His eyes widened at the name Thoth, “Wait, ‘Thoth’, like that monkey Persona?! Does that mean Thoth is a guy?”

“I’m not sure…” she trailed off, “I mean, I know Thoth was the one who set up this trip. They’ve got connections with this university and they know someone who’s working at the dig. They asked if anyone on the forum would like to volunteer and help out”

He relented, “Y-yeah, but…” he clenched his fists, eyebrows furrowed in frustration, “What if…”

_What if he tries to hook up with her?_

_What if he ropes her and the other one into something shady?_

_What if she’s kidnapped?_

_I mean, we could always change their heart, but going outside the country like that_

Futaba looked over her shoulder, surprised at her boyfriend’s pensive expression. Since they began their relationship, there were hardly ever any secrets between the two. At this point they were practically an old married couple. Granted, they refused to divulge any details, or even the existence, of their….affair? Ship? What were they exactly to each other wasn’t made clear, but it was definitely something closer than a friendship.

Suddenly, he stood up and turned to her with an uncharacteristically serious assertion,

“I’m goin’ with you”

“Wh-what?! Why? How? Do you have any idea how  _expensive_ those plane tickets are?!" 

Between carrying out their form of justice on society, everyone else in the Phantom Thieves had academic and professional pursuits; something to keep them preoccupied. In addition, their vocations provided another source of income outside of their work as the infamous Phantom Thieves, one which would be much less likely to attract unwanted attention. Futaba herself had her freelance coding, which also kept her busy in between filling out requests. Ryuji was the exception, training at the gym as he was constantly in between jobs. The others often joked that his occupation was “Full-time part-timer”

“’Cause I wanna, and I don’t have anything else to do.”

 

* * *

 

So here they were, encumbered by their luggage and struggling against the crowds as they made their way through the airport to their terminal. Ryuji seemed to handle his luggage well, literally carrying the burden on his broad shoulders. While he wasn’t any taller than when Futaba first met him, he’d certainly changed. His hair began to fade to its original color, and his posture significantly improved. That is to say, he stopped skulking around like a vulture. The latter was especially evident as he managed to stand up straight under the weight of his baggage, both literal and figurative. He still carried some resentment towards those who were corrupt, and a need to right the wrongs of the world, but he’d mellowed out as he entered adulthood.  

Meanwhile, Futaba nearly fell over several times while struggling to carry her equipment, as she insisted on carrying her laptop along with several handheld gaming devices and other otaku paraphernalia. The lime-green suitcase was a wise choice, as it stood out nicely among the crowds. Aside from her handicap in the form of her surplus of electronics, her struggle to navigate the airport was exacerbated by her ever present social anxiety. It wasn’t nearly on the same level as when she first joined the thieves, but she was beginning to feel thankful that Ryuji insisted on accompanying her on this voyage. Going from managing basic interactions in her day-to-day interactions in the city to traversing through the packed airport was much more frightening than any uncharted part of the Metaverse.

Among the crowds, she squinted ahead to see a familiar figure. A fair skinned woman with a dark bob cut strode towards them, black heels clicking on the floor. She smiled and chuckled softly as she acknowledged the pair,

“Well, isn’t this a surprise? I remember I treated you after you passed out a few summers ago”

Futaba winced at the woman, “Hey, aren’t you…”

The woman cut her off, smiling, “Tae Takemi. I believe we met a long time ago. How is Akira these da-”

Tae stopped as she peered past the couple as another figure approached them. Looking over her shoulder, Ryuji squinted before his jaw dropped, but not before mouthing the words _What. The. Fuck?_ Futaba looked in the same direction as her boyfriend and removed her glasses for a moment to clean them and make sure what she was seeing was real. In all their adventures in the Metaverse, nothing compared to the creature who stood before them.

Another woman stood confidently before them, arms crossed tightly. She seemed fairly pedestrian in her dress and blazer. Her outfit carried an air of class without being overbearing. However, she was also wearing a gaudy headdress, and held what appeared to be a crook resembling those seen on the caskets of Egyptian mummies. She pointed the object in their direction, as the sun shone on the glistening gold and royal blue striped. Futaba’s eyes drifted from the object to the woman’s ostentatious headgear, which looked like an artifact plundered from the tomb of a pharaoh. Her steely gaze shone through the thick layers of eyeliner as a jovial, regal voice escaped her rogue-painted lips,

“Ah, at last you’ve arrived! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Alibaba! Serqet!”


	2. Anubis & Hathor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anubis: God of dead, embalming, funerals, and mourning ceremonies  
> Hathor: Goddess of love

While he wasn’t proud enough to admit to it, Ryuji Sakamoto was a hopeless romantic. He had a string of crushes on various girls, from classmates, to the track team manager, and even Ann for a bit, and whenever he fell for someone, he fell _hard_. Falling for Futaba took the longest for him, but that may have been the result of denial as well as a few other factors that….complicated things.

 

While he learned to love the strange young woman sitting adjacent to him on the plane, toiling away at a handheld game, at first he couldn’t stand her. He thought her attitude sucked, flipping between haughty and boastful then switching to sullen and hopeless. Futaba probably never paid much mind to the fact that the first time the Thieves got a good look at her, it wasn’t exactly _her_. Whatever pretenses he had about the shut-in were eliminated the minute he laid eyes on the tiny pharaoh. The others scolded him for forgetting the name of the Jackal-headed statue, but could you blame him? With a mysterious waif wandering around a goddamn _pyramid?_ Who gives a shit about Anubis!

 

Abrasiveness aside, he found the thin girl surprisingly cute and attractive, although that may have had something to do with her wardrobe. The girl was adorned with a headdress, gold, and bright jewelry, with her body barely covered by soft, white linen that hugged her curves, and bandages that bound her small breasts. While she was antagonizing the Thieves, Skull found his eyes drawn to the wisps of white cloth that trailed behind her shadow’s small frame, making her look like a small, yet seductive, specter. 

 

After confronting her shadow and the truth about her mother, Ryuji’s heart went out to the girl. Much like him, she was put in an unfair situation by rotten adults, the people she was supposed to trust and depend on. Not to mention, she lost her mother, whom she loved dearly.

 

For as bad as things got after his injury, at least he always had his mother’s love and support. With the entire track team, classmates, and teachers turning their backs on him, Ryuji couldn’t imagine making it through the rest of that year without his mother. As if he weren’t already wracked with guilt following his injury, losing his position on the team along with the scholarship, placing more burdens on his single mother, he would have been devastated if he lost her too. The thought of Futaba being verbally assaulted by relatives, blaming her for Wakaba’s death, already made Ryuji angry, worried, frustrated and sad. The thought of losing his mother, and then having everyone making it out to be his fault made his blood run cold.

 

As the years continued, Ryuji became more aware of the affection he had for Futaba, or rather, everyone else became aware of these feelings. The fact that he turned bright red whenever he was left alone with her, his disappointment at her pre-emptive rejection of him, claiming that he had no charm, before he even had the chance to consider asking her out. That summer, when he and Ann came over to LeBlanc to hang out with her, he seemed to put in an extra amount of effort to impress her with his tall tales about his days as the star sprinter. Ann in particular noticed how much of a tryhard he was in front of Futaba, and later called him out on being “lowkey kind of cringy”. But he didn’t mind, since the timid girl managed to smile and laugh in his presence. Ann also noticed some changes in his behavior following the addition of Futaba into the Phantom Thieves; he actually managed to dial it down a little, if at all, when he became too loud, abrasive, or blunt. When she pointed these things out to Ryuji, he was mortified, _him_ in love with _Futaba?_ Futaba, head wrapped in a towel when they all went to the beach? Futaba, who communicated almost exclusively in videogame terminology, memes, and references? Futaba, who was basically like a little sister to Akira? To the whole team?

 

After Ann’s observation, along with several incriminating remarks from the others, Ryuji began to spend more time pacing his room, trying to figure out how to even approach Futaba romantically.

 

 

Futaba had experience in a variety of different fields; from programming and hacking to nearly every video game under the sun. However, she was incredibly inexperienced with love and crushes. One of the many, many, consequences of being a shut-in since getting into middle school was that she had almost no knowledge of romance. She doesn’t remember any crushes or anything like that in elementary school, as her impression of her peers was not very positive, sans Kana. Her memories of the boys in her elementary school were vague at best and terrifying at worst. The only positive male figure in her life was Sojiro. That was about it.

 

Her knowledge of love, romance, or whatever you called it mainly consisted of what she gathered from games, manga, and anime. But even as a kid, she knew that there was _no way_ anything like that would play out in the real world.  She wasn’t going to bump into a possible suitor on her way to school, or suddenly turn out to be pretty once she took her glasses off or anything like that.

 

Surprisingly, she managed to meet a few pretty boys after emerging from her NEET cocoon.  Akira was a lot like Sojiro, except he was younger and therefore cooler. The debonair leader of the Phantom Thieves became like a cool older brother to her, guiding her on her journey out into “the real world”. Meanwhile, there was _Inari._ Little did he know, Yusuke was a standard pretty boy; slim frame accompanied by long eyelashes and silky hair. Thank god he was also a _weirdo_. Futaba was worried how she would handle the artist if he were anything like the guys she saw in shojo manga.

 

Then there was Ryuji.

 

At first, the guy was just _too much._ He was messy, loud, and would not _shut up._ Compared to the sharply dressed Akira and Yusuke, Ryuji was a complete mess. His tacky shirts could be seen from space, and Futaba had to will herself not to yell at him to _pull his goddamn pants up already._ She was worried he’d turn out like one of the rowdy, rude boys from her elementary school, and would make fun of her for her….everything. However, she was pleasantly surprised to find that he appreciated her honesty. He was also surprisingly considerate, when he wanted to be. She also had trouble stifling a laugh or smile at his endearing enthusiasm and energy; the way that he beamed as he recounted stories from his days of track and field, making him look like a character out of a sports manga. His mile wide grin and small eyebrows made him look as intimidating as an eager dog. Futaba was happy to find a guy she could feel comfortable enough around to talk to, even someone she could pick on. She _had_ to lie, and say that he had no charm, because he managed to charm her without even trying. Futaba found that over time, it would become harder to deny her growing feelings towards the blonde. There were a couple of incidents that made it increasingly more difficult to avoid falling for him.

 

After his meltdown, following the fallout over Okumura’s passing, she remembered how he stopped her right outside the Sakura residence, profusely apologizing for frightening the frail girl. Since that night, Futaba had trouble ignoring Ryuji’s positive traits. This habit worsened after his fake out following their heist at Shido’s cruiser. For a brief moment, they thought that they lost him, and she couldn’t bear that thought. However, for her to shed tears over some _dumb jerk_ , some slouching dork she barely knew, someone she just met that summer…To cry for him like that…

 

She hated to admit it, but contrary to her first impressions of the guy, he was quite charming in his own way. She came to appreciate his loyalty, passion, and honesty. He was also surprisingly dependable following the thieves’ covenant with the ruler of Mementos. While Akira and the others were almost always occupied, Ryuji was always up for hanging out in Akihabara with the former NEET. Futaba found she grew excited at the prospect of spending time with Ryuji, but curbed her enthusiasm, internally reminding herself that they would just be hanging out as _friends_. They were “friends” who spent an inordinate amount of time together, righting the wrongs of society in the Metaverse. They were “friends” who liked to crack dirty jokes and made out “for fun”, escalating to a particular incident which lead to Sojiro chasing Ryuji down Yongen and forced the café owner to dispose of one of his booths after its defilement.

 

It was at that point, they couldn’t continue calling themselves “friends”


End file.
